The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has officially released thousands of pages of previously classified documents related to the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., marking a significant moment in the nation’s ongoing reckoning with its political history.
The files, made public on Monday, were released despite strong reservations from members of King’s family, who had expressed concerns about privacy and potential misinterpretation of sensitive details.
In a statement confirming the release, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said the American people had waited nearly six decades to gain full access to the federal government’s investigation into the events surrounding Dr. King’s death.
“This is about transparency and truth. Nearly 230,000 pages of documents have been released with only minimal redactions to protect personal privacy,” Gabbard said.
The move comes after President Trump signed an executive order earlier this year mandating the declassification of materials related to three major assassinations of the 1960s—President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
In March, the National Archives released files tied to President Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963. The following month, documents connected to the June 1968 killing of Robert F. Kennedy were also made public.
The newly released MLK files are expected to reignite debates around the federal government’s role in surveillance, civil rights-era politics, and unanswered questions about one of the most pivotal events in U.S. history.
Historians, journalists, and human rights advocates have long called for full access to these records, arguing that transparency is essential to understanding the broader context of political violence in America’s past.